The air in my area is very foggy and stings.  Some people are calling it "harmattan" but it's hot and not dry.

I think this phenomenon is known as smog and it happens when warm air high in the atmosphere prevents polluted air from factories and car exhausts from rising and dispersing into the upper atmosphere.  So the pollutants mixed with water vapour continue to build up in the lower atmosphere, leading to the effects we're seeing.

Where are you based?  Are you experiencing this in your area?  Let's find out how far this reaches and how bad.

UPDATE: Some people are saying it's the effect of a Sahara desert dust storm.  If true, it would also explain the stinging/choking effect.

Yea,I observed this polluted airhen i was about leaving port arcourt to warri.You barely can see far.It looks prety much like harmattan season but its hot.Now i am in warri and we are experiencing the same thing.

Hope this does not pose any serious health hazards.

Climate change;what is nigeria doing other countries are taking the issue very serious.

MayGod save us.

@Seun
I still think its harmattan and not smog. I still feel cold even with the dust. Smog is usually made up of gases.

Very good and educative information coming from Seun

From the information i got from my Uncle, it's HARMATTAN. He said a similar thing happened in 1972. We are still in dry season we havent entered rainy season yet. So i beleive him that this is harmattan and does not pose any health hazard.

Smoke + fog =SMOG.But what i fell here in ibadan is smelly and stinging dust.it makes my eye watery,i can only hope its not causing any harm to my dear eyes.(thanks for the information).

obinna5000:

@Seun
I still think its harmattan and not smog. I still feel cold even with the dust. Smog is usually made up of gases.

@obinna i totally agree with you.

this has already affected so many flight,

may be we are lucky down here in 9ja,in china it is sandstorm currently moving through out the country up to Hong Kong.
see link http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/8577806.stm

PH is having poor visibility though.

May be the climate is changing so fast

I leave in the university town of Nsukka and for the past two days we ve been experiencing the harmattan with powdery dust all over the place.The air around here smells dusty and very harsh on the nostril and it leaves the skin all dried up.

I leave in the university town of Nsukka and for the past two days we ve been experiencing the harmattan with powdery dust all over the place.The air around here smells dusty and very harsh on the nostril and it leaves the skin all dried up.

@seun

The phenomenon whereby upper air mass is warmer than the lower air mass
is known in metereology as an inversion. Ordinarily the saying is true that the
higher you go, the cooler it becomes, hence warm air rises and cools during its
ascent at a drop of 3 degrees centigrade every 1000 feet.
Presently we have an abnormal occurence where the lower air mass is cooler
so it stays down trapping the pollutants that should have risen and acted as
ingredients in the formation of clouds and consequently causing rainfall.

No one should be outside after 8pm today. This not "harmattan" Its a SMOG, it damages Human's heart. RUN FOR YA LIFE!!!!!!

Even affecting ppl seriouly in Hong Kong.
May be it's coming to Africa

Seriously reminds me of my days Up north. The Weather is so harsh on the nose.

am in anthony and there is polluted air .does it hv any negative implication

where am I gonna hide, SMOG coming to Nigeria, Oh not in my matches box house

Yeah! It's all over the island

Nature's way of checking overpopulation
Any male that inhales this is rendered sterile and impotent.
Praise Gad!

we havin the same problem here too in kogi state. Some said is harmattan but i don't tink so
anybody heard any information about ACID RAIN  later this week, any drop of the rain on u is harmful

0hsisi:

Nature's way of checking overpopulation
Any male that inhales this is rendered sterile and impotent.
Praise Gad!

]
You no well at all,na ur blockos go block!

The whether is the same in ikeja too.Someone claimed he got a warning alert of a possibility of an acidic rain between 20th and 28th of this month. It was said to be based on a dark circle around the moon on the 17th of last month which the peddlers said was indicative of the acid rain. The acid rain is said to be a cause of skin cancer. The information is said to have emanated from NASA. May God save us,

In Magodo gra here its d same thing the atmosphere is foggy and dry. My sis in zamfara state says d place is so dry that when u're walking on the streets u will look like an old person,lol
@seun, thanx for the heads up, and obinna think u're right, lets just hope it aint harmful, or is d world coming to end already

i hope Gaddafi's  r not the one throw nuclear weapon bomb into Nigeria.
Nigeria beware of Gaddafi's

@ Anne Marie,
ur dear eyes is safe, that i can guarantee u. (winks)

This is actually hotter than Harmattan. Whatever it is, the Lagos airport was closed this morning but am not sure if it has been opened, poor visibility i guess. The northern part of the country have been experiencing this since wednesday or so.

A colleague of mine claimed the world is coming to an end!

is NASA saying anything about d weather condition?

Benn terrible in Abuja for some days now.